


Giggles in the Dark

by Writerleft



Series: Comes Marching Home [67]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Cannon compliant, Comfort, F/F, Korrasami Month, Korrasami Month 2018, Sweet, married, prompt: Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 01:29:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16844416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: Why would Asami be giggling in her sleep?Why is she so sad when she wakes up?And why the heck won't she talk to Korra about it?





	Giggles in the Dark

Korra shut their bedroom door, leaning against it as she watched Asami peel off her clothes. She licked her lips, and purred, “Looking forward to sleeping in your own bed again?”

“Ugh, completely,” Asami said, sitting on the bed long enough to pull off her socks. With each, she made a grunt of release that gave Korra even more ideas. “The conference was great for networking, and I know I made some great new hires and acquisitions, but damned if they didn’t set every meeting sixty miles from the last one.” 

“They must’ve really had you running around,” Korra said, lowering herself to her knees between Asami’s feet. “Even over the phone, you sounded distracted.” She took hold of one foot, pressing her thumb into Asami’s arch. 

Asami promptly melted. 

Korra chuckled, giving Asami’s feet a firm, practiced massage. “Well, I’ve missed you too.” Korra’s massage was  _ so  _ practiced that she was able to lean forward with a few spare motions and pull of Asami’s skirt and leggings. Asami didn’t protest--likely she barely registered what was happening to anything but her feet. 

Korra pressed her lips to the inside of her ankle, nuzzling her hair against Asami’s calf.

Asami’s moan encouraged her to continue. They’d been apart more than a week before, but Korra had had some frustrating days, and some lonely nights, and it had been a while before Asami had had gone since they’d--

Asami’s moan turned into a grunt. “Korra… not tonight, honey, I’m exhausted.” 

Korra sighed, sitting back down, massaging absentmindedly. “Alright. Alright.” 

Soon after, Asami got up just long enough to prepare for bed, and Korra had to admit, she  _ was _ pretty zonked out. As they lay down together and Korra turned out the light, she said, “Glad you’re home, Asami. I love you.” 

“Luh you tuh,” Asami mumbled into her pillow. 

Korra put her arm around Asami. Asami’s body didn’t respond at all. 

Korra went to sleep frowning. 

\--

She was sleeping poorly when soft giggling brought Korra partway to wakefulness. 

“Go to bed,” she said, assuming it was one of the kids. The gears slowly turned in her head, and when she heard the giggle again, she recognized whose it was. 

Korra opened one eye, looking at her still slumbering wife. Asami was giggling as she dreamed. Giggling. 

She loved Asami’s giggle--but how long had it been since she’d heard it? 

Asami smiled, squirming a little. 

That was her honeymoon giggle. Their puppy-dog, everything-is-new young love giggle.

Korra hadn’t heard it in years. 

Too tired to really talk to her, but giggling in her dreams… what had she done on that business trip? 

And who had she done it with? 

Korra scowled at herself, quietly smacking her forehead. Asami wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t sneak around on her. 

If Asami were bored with her, were interested in someone else, she’d  _ tell _ her. Korra knew that much. 

Asami giggled, kicking a little. 

Korra rolled over, frowning into the darkness. 

\--

“Good morning,” Korra said, leaning against the counter as Asami finally exited the bedroom, still in her pajamas. “Sleep well?” 

Asami shrugged, but Korra recognized that small frown of hers. The one that meant she was processing something, deep down. “Well enough,” she said, pouring herself some tea. “Where’re the kids?” 

“School,” Korra said. 

“Right,” Asami winced. “I forgot what day it was.” 

Korra reached a hand over to place atop Asami’s. “Are you okay?” 

Asami nodded. “Yeah. Yeah I’m fine.” 

Korra looked at her, waiting, hoping she would offer more. Maybe she really was just tired, maybe some of that airship food disagreed with her. Definitely there was a chance that it was nothing, right? 

“Okay,” Korra finally said, squeezing Asami’s hand. “Anyway, they’re not expecting you at work until after lunch, I told them you needed to sleep in after the trip and of course, Tenni was on top of that and hadn’t scheduled anything. I sure hope you pay her well.” 

Asami chuckled, and Korra smiled, and everything was as it should be. 

\--

Except Asami giggled in her sleep again that night, too. 

\--

And was sad again the next morning. 

\--

Except, of course, she was  _ fine _ . 

\--

But she wasn’t fine. Korra was sure of that. 

\--

Especially when the next day was like that too. Even Mian and Zinny noticed. 

\--

Korra strode into Asami’s office the next day, a basket in her hand. “She in a meeting?” she asked Asami’s assistant. 

“Nope,” Tenni answered as Korra walked past. “Quick visit, or…?” 

“I dunno yet,” Korra said, shoving open Asami’s door. “Hey, honey! Guess who’s going on a picnic lunch?” 

Asami jumped at her entrance, then steadied herself on her desk. “Korra… now is not a good time--”

Korra slammed the basket on Asami’s desk, but kept smiling. “The answer is us, Asami. Care to guess when?” 

Asami sighed, but grabbed the basket. 

They didn’t speak as they navigated through the hallways Asami had grown up in, before turning the estate into Future Industries’ headquarters. Korra wasn’t as familiar with the building as her wife, but she knew about the side exit onto the grounds, leading out to a lovely bit of green space that had somehow survived all the retrofitting. 

Korra pulled the blanket from the top of the basket, unfurling it on the grass. Asami plopped the basket down, sitting beside it, and tried not to look irritated. 

Korra sat facing her, then reached out her hands. Asami regarded them for a moment, then sighed, and took them both. 

“I love you,” Korra said. 

“Am I in trouble?” Asami asked. 

“Are you?” Korra asked back. “Are  _ we _ ?” 

Asami looked down, guilty. “Korra… no, no, I love you too, let’s start there.” 

Good start. “But…” 

Asami shook her head. “I guess… I’ve been a little weird, haven’t I?” 

Korra nodded, squeezed her hands. 

Asami took a deep breath, swallowed. She looked up, at Korra. Past Korra. Her throat hitched. 

Asami’s tears hit so suddenly and so hard, that Korra took a moment to even respond.  _ Was _ there a problem in their relationship? Would Asami even  _ want _ her comfort right now? 

Her body was moving before she even finished that thought. Whatever Asami might be broken up over, Korra  _ could not _ see her hurting without trying to soothe her. She simply couldn’t. Instead, she swept forward, gathering Asami in her arms, letting her cry.  _ Helping _ her cry.

Any doubt she had that Asami still loved her was flattened by the ferocity with which Asami hugged her back. 

Korra squeezed her, held her, rocked her. Soothing words, but no questions--not now. 

Answers would come in their own time, once the tears were done. 

Just as it had been years since she’d heard Asami giggle, it had been years since she’d seen Asami cry this hard and this deep. 

“I… at the conference,” Asami, said, as her composure returned. “I met somebody. Young, and sweet, and cute… barely in her twenties I think, but sharp. She was there with her mother, and she introduced us, and… her mom had been friends with mine. She remembered more about her than I ever could, said that I look  _ just  _ like her… So we got to talking, and soon she--the young woman, I mean, not my mom’s friend--soon she was introducing me to her boyfriend, and they asked about Korra, and I promised if they were ever in town I’d introduce you, and…”

Asami took a breath, looked to Korra’s eyes. 

She found all the support she’d ever need. 

“That night, every night since, I remembered when we were that age. And I dreamt… I dreamt I got to introduce you to my parents. To  _ both _ of my parents. I’ve gone to sleep, every night this week, and seen them both, with you, with Zin and Mian, and Dad is so proud and Mom is so happy and… and then I wake up, and… Why  _ now _ ? Why does this hurt so much, even now?” 

“You’re proud of us,” Korra said. “You have a family that loves you. You’re a  _ mom _ , and a great one, but part of you is always gonna be that girl who lost her mom. That young woman who lost her dad. There’s no, uh… what’s that word. Stature, statue…”

“Statute of limitations?” 

Korra snapped her fingers. “That’s it. There’s no statute of limitations on missing someone.”

“I just wish they could see,” Asami said. “Do you think they’d be sad, that I’m happy without them?” 

“I think they’d be sad they didn’t get to see it,” Korra said, moving to sit side by side, then resting Asami’s head on her shoulder. “You know what, though? I think I have an idea.” 

\--

Zinny and Mian piled out of the car, in their best clothes and on their best behavior. Mian had looked mutinous when Korra had explained how she was supposed to behave, but Zin was setting a good example. 

Asami circled around the car, a scarf around her neck and a nervous look on her face. She shared a tiny smile with Korra, then turned to their kids. “You guys ready?” 

“Yeah, mom,” Zin said. Mian just nodded, looking around but restraining her drive to explore. After all, at first glance, this just looked like a park.” 

Asami took a deep breath. “Alright. This way.” 

Korra held her hand as Asami led them along the stone walkway, to comfort her. Zin and Mian held hands too--to show Mian how to comport herself, and to help Zin comfort himself, too. In their free hands, each held a small bundle of flowers. 

Asami stopped in front of a hand-carved stone slab, reading the names on the brass metal plate. She stared a long moment, and then another, holding Korra’s hand firmly as a lifetime of emotions coursed through her. 

Korra looked at the names too, but really, she was in her own head, feeling Asami’s spirit just as closely and just as lovingly as she did Asami’s hand. 

This meeting was long overdue. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Visit me on my tumblr! Say hi! ](https://threehoursfromtroy.tumblr.com/)


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